Men's Cross Country

Olmstead Earns Peach Belt Runner of the Week

Sophomore Shawn Olmstead

Sep 06, 2017

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) released the first round of weekly cross country honors of the new season Wednesday, with Georgia College sophomore Shawn Olmstead (Buford) being named the PBC Men's Runner of the Week.

Olmstead captured his first collegiate race title Friday, winning the Valdosta State Border Clash. The sophomore torched the 6K course in a time of 19:38, out-distancing his nearest competitor by four seconds. The event featured seven teams, three from the PBC, and 69 total runners. Olmstead's efforts helped the Bobcats to the team title, their first win since the 2015 Julius Johnson Invitational.

He becomes the first Georgia College men's runner to be named the PBC Runner of the Week since James Ryden (2012-15) took the award following that 2015 title. All-time Bobcat harriers have won five PBC Runner of the Week honors.

The Bobcats are back in action Saturday, Sept. 9 as the team will split squads to the Joe I. Vigil open at Adams State University and the Jaguar Invitational at Augusta University.

The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on social media for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.